FOREST HILL CEMETERY2201 Oneida StreetUtica, NY 13501315.735.2701Established: 1850Acres: 135Official WebsiteBella Morte Rating: 4 TombstonesIf you are a fan of historic cemeteries, Forest Hill in Utica, New York, should not be overlooked. Resting peacefully amidst 135 pastoral acres lie the mortal remains of thousands of souls, including at least 14 U.S. Congressmen as well as former Vice President James Schoolcraft Sherman whose mausoleum, facing the Adirondack mountain range to the north, is but one of many such edifices scattered throughout the cemetery.Of course, we at Bella Morte are by no means history buffs, hence, for us, the draw of places such as Forest Hill lies in the monuments and memorials to the lesser-known as well as in the beauty of the grounds themselves. In regard to the latter, Forest Hill offers a hilly and varied terrain which ranges from nearly treacherous on some of the steepest slopes near the front of the property to flat, pine-needle strewn expanses near the rear of the grounds. In between, visitors are treated to terraced drives, small babbling brooks and expansive vistas. These vistas include the aforementioned Adirondack mountains as well as glimpses into neighbouring graveyards New Forest and Calvary, neither of which, in our opinions, are worthy of a review here.We would be remiss were we to neglect to mention the past presence of the Sacred Stone of the Oneida Nation of Indians which once resided beside a pond near the entrance to Forest Hill. When the Oneida reservation was relocated to Wisconsin, the Council Stone, sacred to the tribes of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, was given a beautiful home in Forest Hill with the blessing of the Oneida people. Members of the tribe later reconsidered their decision and retrieved the stone in 1978. It was relocated to the Oneida reservation in New York, where it remains to this day.

The layout of the cemetery's original 45 acres was planned by Almeron Hotchkiss, a civil engineer who was also employed at the time by historic Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. When Forest Lawn obtained an additional 65 acres of land in 1865, Hotchkiss -- now Superintendent of Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri -- was again retained to plan the additional acreage.

In regard to memorials, the clear standout at Forest Hill is a stunning tribute commissioned by Utica interior designer John Greene Kasson. The monument was erected in memory of his wife, noted cellist Louise Dellmayer, who emigrated to Utica from Vienna and later died in 1913 at the age of 54. The monument is approached by way of a red brick walkway which terminates at a pale pink and white marbled granite pedestal with bronze letters which read:

Above this lettering is the memorial sculpture which bears the following inscription at its base:

Fear not the nightThy soul is awakeWith the stars

The sculpture itself, carved from white granite, depicts a female figure draped in a diaphanous gown, arms folded dramatically above her head, eyes gazing steadfastly towards the sky. Upon closer inspection, the inscription "Copyright K. Bitter 1914" can been seen at the figure's base.

The sculpture. commissioned by Mr. Kasson, is the work of celebrated Austrian-born sculptor Karl Theodore Francis Bitter (1867–1915) whose works are displayed in various venues across the United States. Though not nearly as dramatic as Bitter's Hubbard Memorial figure {Thanatos}, located in Green Mount Cemetery (Montpelier, Vermont), Forest Hill's memorial to Louise Dellmayer is a captivating piece of funerary art. Seen from the front, the female form appears to emerge from her pedestal at a point just above the knees and to rise from there like white flame. Viewed from the sides or back, however, one sees that the figure is, in fact, kneeling.A plain flat marker just to the right of the Dellmayer memorial marks the final resting place of Louise's obviously loving husband. It is rather remarkable that, though married, Louise and John did not share a common last name -- a rarity for that point in history.Other monuments worth mentioning include the following touching tribute to a four year old boy. Etched beneath the image of a dove descending from the heavens bearing an olive branch are the words:Frederick A. Jr.We shall miss him when the flowers comein the garden where he played.We shall miss him more by the firesidewhen the flowers are all decayed.We shall see his toys and his empty chair,and the horse he used to ride,and they will speak with a silent speechof the little boy that died.Elsewhere on the grounds, an impressive black urn-shaped granite monument bears the following inscriptions at its base:

(Front)My Mother1868 Harriette E. Whelan 1937

(Rear)OPPORTUNITYThey do me wrong who say I come no moreWhen once I knock and fail to find you inFor every day I stand outside your doorAnd bid you wake and rise to fight and winThe impressive 1874 Vedder Brower mausoleum is featured on the cemetery's website. It stands apart from other family mausoleums on the grounds in that it is flanked by two different angel sculptures which draw the attention of passersby and seem to beckon them to enjoy a closer look. Apparently, numerous members of the Vedder and Brower families have been entombed in a subterranean space considerably larger than the physical structure of the mausoleum above. This is attested to by the green ventilation stacks protruding from the ground approximately five feet from each corner of the mausoleum structure. Access to the underground crypts lies within the mausoleum.From the simple markers of little Minnie Bella (a child kneeling in prayer) and Brother Will (a plain cross twined with ivy) to the elaborate Wheeler memorial (an angel pointing the way to heaven to a mother and child), Forest Hill has been a place of rest and sanctuary for residents of the Utica area for nearly 160 years. For those who share the sentiments of one we know only as "L.D." it will continue to be the desired "final destination" of many for years to come.“If such be his will, let me lie in Forest HillSurrounded by tasteful tombs that markThe resting places of our City’s famous deadMidst incense-scented shrub and flowers,Lulled by the pure, sweet song of birds;Where lofty trees stand sentinels on guardAnd spread their arching arms to form cathedral naves,Here, by his grace, may I rest eternally in peace."- L.D. -{G}